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Hail to The King, baby: Remembering Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley scored his first No. 1 hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," in 1956. His last No. 1 came in 1969 with "Suspicious Minds."

Elvis Aaron Presley, seen here in a 1955 publicity photo, was born on Jan. 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Vernon Elvis and Gladys Love Presley. His twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley, was stillborn.

Pictured is the two-room shotgun house in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis Presley was born.

Presley made his radio debut on July 7, 1954, when WHBQ in Memphis, Tennessee, played his first recording for Sun Records, "That's All Right." The response from listeners was so overwhelming that DJ Dewey Phillips played the song repeatedly for the last two hours of his show before interviewing Presley live on the air.

On July 30, 1954, Elvis made his professional concert debut opening for Slim Whitman at a concert advertised as a "Hillbilly Hoedown" at the Overton Park Shell in Memphis.

The iconic cover of Elvis' 1956 self-titled debut, featuring a photo taken July 31, 1955. The best-known song on the album was a cover of Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes."

Presley had to strip to his waist to escape from a fan riot during the concerts he performed in Jacksonville, Florida, in May 1955.

On Jan. 28, 1956, he made his first appearance on national television on "The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show."

Presley's July 1956 recording of "Hound Dog" was a huge hit for the singer and part of a streak of 11 straight No. 1 singles.

When he appeared on "The Steve Allen Show" on July 1, 1956, a tuxedoed Presley was told not to dance and Allen had him sing "Hound Dog" to a real basset hound wearing a top hat and bowtie.

Elvis appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the first time on Sept. 9, 1956, with actor Charles Laughton hosting the show as a fill-in while Sullivan recuperated from a car accident. Presley performed "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender," "Ready Teddy" and a shortened version of "Hound Dog" in two segments broadcast from Hollywood. The show was seen by approximately 60 million viewers -- a record 82.6 percent of the television audience.

On Dec. 4, 1956, Elvis dropped in at Memphis' Sun Records, where Jerry Lee Lewis (far left) and Carl Perkins (second from left) were recording and jammed with them. Fellow Sun Records artist Johnny Cash (far right) joined them for this famous photo, which became known as the "Million Dollar Quartet."

On April 2, 1957, Elvis appeared for the first time outside the United States, performing at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. This concert and a show the following day in Ottawa would be the only concerts Presley ever gave outside the U.S.

Elvis Presley is pictured in his United States Army uniform in this undated publicity photograph. Presley entered the United States Army at Memphis, Tennessee, on March 24, 1958. Presley's overseas service took place in Germany from Oct. 1, 1958, until March 2, 1960, as a member of the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32d Armor and he received his discharge from the Army Reserve on March 23, 1964.

Elvis made 31 films as an actor. Here are just a few of them, starting with his first movie, 1956's "Love Me Tender," a western which co-starred Debra Paget and featured Elvis' title track.

"Jailhouse Rock," seen here in this colorized promotional poster used in theaters, was released in 1957.

Presley entertains King Mehendra and Queen Ratna of Nepal on a movie set in Los Angeles in May 1960.

A scene from Presley's movie "Blue Hawaii," which premiered in November 1961. The movie would open at No. 2 at the box office and, despite mixed reviews from critics, finish as the 10th top-grossing movie of 1961 and 14th for 1962, earning a total of $5 million.

"Kid Galahad," released in 1962.

"Follow That Dream," also released in 1962.

A promotional poster for 1962's "Girls! Girls! Girls!" plays up Elvis' image as a sex symbol.

Presley married Priscilla Ann Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas. Seen here is a detail view of a copy of their marriage license on display at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.

Simply called "Elvis," but later known as the "'68 Comeback Special," the singer wore tight black leather for a concert NBC broadcast on Dec. 3, 1968. It was the singer's first live performance since 1961.

This bizarre photo opportunity came on Dec. 21, 1970, when Elvis met President Richard Nixon at the White House. Presley expressed his patriotism and contempt for the hippie drug culture, asking Nixon for a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge.

Elvis' last album, 1977's "Moody Blue," was released just short of a month before the singer's death. The album was a mixture of live and studio work, and included tracks from Presley's final studio recording sessions in 1976.

Presley died of a heart attack at his Graceland mansion on Aug. 16, 1977. His body was initially interred at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis alongside his mother's grave, but they were both moved to Graceland's Meditation Garden (pictured) in October 1977 following the arrest of three people for trying to steal Presley's remains.

After allowing the public to vote between portraits of the singer -- a thin, '50s Elvis or a jumpsuited, fatter '70s one, the U.S. Postal Service debuted an Elvis commemorative stamp on what would have been the singer's 58th birthday on Jan. 8, 1993. The 29-cent stamp featured the likeness of the 1950's-era Elvis, which had won in a landslide.

Elvis impersonator Carlon Gargallo from Spain is photographed at Presley's gravesite in the Meditation Gardens area of Graceland during Elvis Week on Aug. 12, 2002, in Memphis, Tennessee. Nearly 100,000 fans attended the celebration of all things Elvis that year, which marked the 25th anniversary of Presley's death.

A typed letter signed by Presley is displayed at the 20th Century Fox auction for the Motion Picture and Television Fund on Jan. 22, 2006, in New York City.

A view of Graceland is shown on March 27, 2006, when the former home of the king of rock 'n' roll was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Presley's gun license application showing his fingerprints is displayed at the Idea Generation Gallery on Sept. 3, 2008, in London. The application sold for $81,740.

An Elvis Presley autographed photo inscribed "To Dr. Nick" is seen at Julien's Auctions Summer Entertainment Sale press preview at Planet Hollywood on June 4, 2009, in New York City.

"Elvis on Tour," a documentary that follows The King on his 1972 tour of the U.S., made its long-awaited debut on DVD in 2010.

A "Mr. Karate" diamond ring once owned and worn by Elvis is on display during an auction preview show at the Gotta Have It! store on Oct. 6, 2010, in New York City.

An original photograph of Elvis Presley autographed and inscribed to songwriter and composer Irving Berlin is seen on auction at the Gotta Have It! store on March 21, 2012, in New York City.

An Elvis Presley concert poster is seen on display at a private media viewing at the Gotta Have It! gallery store on Sept. 18, 2013, in New York City.

A jumpsuit that was worn by Elvis is displayed during a press call at the "Elvis at the O2, The Exhibition of His Life" on Dec. 11, 2014, in London, England. The exhibition is the largest ever retrospective ever to take place in Europe, and features more than 300 artifacts from the Presley family's Graceland Archives.

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